September
14th (New Style) •
September 1st (Old Style)
The
Beginning of the Church Year, or the Beginning of the Indiction
The
First Ecumenical Council [Nicaea, 325] decreed that the Church year
should begin on September 1. The month of September was, for the
Hebrews, the beginning of the civil year (Exodus 23:16), the month of
gathering the harvest and of the offering of thanks to God. It was on
this feast that the Lord Jesus entered the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke
4:16-21), opened the book of the Prophet Isaiah and read the words: The
Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me; because the Lord hath anointed Me
to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of
the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of
the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that
mourn (Isaiah 61:1-2). The month of September is also important in
the history of Christianity, because Emperor Constantine the Great was
victorious over Maxentius, the enemy of the Christian Faith, in
September. Following this victory, Constantine granted freedom of
confession to the Christian Faith throughout the Roman Empire. For a
long time, the civil year in the Christian world followed the Church
year, with its beginning on September 1. The civil year was later
changed, and its beginning transferred to January 1. This occurred
first in Western Europe, and later in Russia, under Peter the Great.
The
Venerable Simeon the Stylite
He was
born in Syria of peasant parents. At the age of eighteen, he left home
and was tonsured a monk. He undertook the most difficult ascetic
practices, and sometimes undertook a strict fast for forty days. He
eventually took upon himself a form of asceticism that was previously
unknown. He stood day and night on a pillar, in unceasing prayer. At
first, his pillar was six cubits high; he later raised it to twelve
cubits, then to twenty-two cubits, then to thirty-six cubits, and
finally to forty cubits high. On two occasions his mother
Martha came to see him, but he refused to receive her, saying from
atop the pillar: ``Do not disturb me now, my mother. If we become
worthy, then we'll see each other in the next world.'' St. Simeon
endured countless assaults from demons, but he conquered them all by
prayer to God. The saint worked many great miracles, healing by word
and prayer many who were afflicted. People from all over gathered
around his pillar-the rich and the poor, kings and slaves. Simeon
helped everyone: healing some of infirmities, comforting those in
need, instructing others, and reproaching some who held heretical
beliefs. Thus, he turned Empress Eudocia from the Eutychian heresy and
brought her back to Orthodoxy. He lived the ascetic life during the
reigns of the Emperors Theodosius the Younger, Marcian and Leo the
Great. Simeon, the first great stylite in Christianity and a great
miracle-worker, lived to be 103 years old. He reposed in the Lord on
September 1, 459. His relics were translated to Antioch, to the church
dedicated to his name.
Saint
Joshua, the Son of Nun
Joshua
was the leader of the Hebrew people after the death of Moses. Of
several hundred thousand Jews who came out of Egypt, only he and Caleb
entered the Promised Land. Joshua lived to be 110 years old, and died
approximately 1440 years before the Nativity of Christ. (Read of his
faithfulness to God, his works and his miracles in the Book of
Joshua.)
Reflection
We
should use all that is necessary in this world for the cultivation of
our souls, for when death separates us from this world we will take
nothing to the other world except our souls, in whatever state they
have been formed here. When he was eighteen, St. Simeon the Stylite
was so concerned about the salvation of his soul that one day he fell
face down on the earth and prayed to God that He would show him the
path of salvation. And lying thus in prayer for a long time, he had a
vision that he was digging a trench for a foundation and, exhausted
from digging, stopped to catch his breath. A voice spoke to him,
saying: ``Dig deeper!'' Then he began, with greater labor and effort,
to dig yet deeper. Again he stopped to catch his breath. But again he
heard the voice: ``Dig deeper!'' He again began to dig, with even
greater labor and effort. At this the voice spoke to him again:
``Stop, it is sufficient! Now build what you wish to build; for
without labor, you will succeed in nothing.'' Those who labor little,
and build the life of their soul on sensual shallowness, build on
sand, which cannot uphold anything, even in this transitory world-and
even more so in eternity.
Contemplation
Contemplate
the lawlessness of David (II Samuel 11):
1. How David committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah,
while Uriah was away at war;
2. How David arranged the death of Uriah;
3. How God became angered with David.
Homily
On the Word, the Son of God
In
the beginning was the Word (John 1:1).
The Logos-the rational, intelligent Word-existed in the beginning.
This pertains to the Divine Nature of our Lord Jesus Christ. Brethren,
by saying, In the beginning, do we think that the Word of God
has a beginning? Or that there was a certain date in time when the Son
of God was born of God the Father? In no way! For the birth of the Son
of God can have neither a date nor a beginning, since time is a
condition of this transient world, and it does not affect the eternal
God, and therefore does not affect anything at all that is of God. Can
the sun remain the sun, if the sunlight is separated from it? Will a
man remain a man, if his mind is taken away? Would honey still be
honey, if its sweetness is separated from it? It cannot. Even less can
one conceive of God as separate from His Logos, from His rational
Word, from His Intelligence, from His Wisdom-the eternal Father
separate from His co-eternal Son.
No, brethren, the words are not about the beginning of the Son of God
from God the Father, but rather about the beginning of the history of
the created world and the salvation of mankind. This beginning is in
the Word of God, in the Son of God. He began both the creation of the
world and the salvation of the world. Whoever would speak of the
creation of the visible or invisible worlds, or of the salvation of
mankind, must begin with the Beginning. And that Beginning is the Word
of God, the Wisdom of God, the Son of God. For example, if someone
were telling a story about boating on a lake, he might begin it like
this: ``In the beginning there was a lake, and on it sailed a white
boat….'' No reasonable person would interpret the words, ``In the
beginning there was a lake…'' to mean that the lake came into
existence on the same day that the boat sailed on it. Thus, no
rational man could take the words of the Evangelist, In the
beginning was the Word…, as though the Word of God came forth
from God at the same moment that the world was created! Just as the
lake existed for thousands of years before the boat sailed on it, so
the Word of God existed for a whole eternity before the beginning of
creation.
O Son of God, co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, enlighten us
and save us.
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the Top
September
15th (New Style) •
September 2nd (Old Style)
The
Holy Martyr Mamas
He was
born in Paphlagonia of renowned Christian parents, Theodotus and
Rufina. His parents were cast into prison for Christ's name. His
father died first in prison, and as soon as Rufina bore Mamas, she
also died. Thus the newborn child was left alone between the dead
bodies of his parents. However, God the Provider sent an angel to a
noble widow, Ammia. Ammia saw the angel in a dream: he told her to go
to the prison and take the child in. The local eparch granted Ammia
permission to bury the dead and to take the child to her home. When
Mamas reached his fifth year, he began to talk and his first word was
``Mama!''-for which he received the name ``Mamas.'' In school, Mamas
displayed unusual intelligence, and as he had been reared in a
Christian spirit, he did not hide his faith, but confessed it to the
other children and laughed at the idols. During the reign of Aurelian
there was a bitter persecution of Christians. The pagans did not even
spare the Christian children. Mamas was fifteen years old when he was
brought before the emperor. The emperor told him that he needed only
to deny Christ verbally. Mamas replied: ``Neither in my heart nor with
my lips will I renounce my God and King, Jesus Christ.'' The emperor
ordered him to be beaten, burned with torches, and finally thrown into
the sea. But an angel of God saved him, and took him to a high
mountain near Caesarea. There he lived in solitude and prayer. Even
the wild beasts were tamed by his sanctity. He was finally discovered
by his persecutors and subjected to torture again. When he had
overcome torture both by fire and by wild beasts, St. Mamas was run
through with a trident by a pagan priest. Thus he gave his holy soul
to God, to Whom he had been faithful during all of his tortures. From
his relics many healings of the sick have taken place.
Saint
John the Faster, Patriarch of Constantinople
He is
also celebrated on August 30. He was at first a goldsmith, but because
of his great and many acts of mercy-and by God's providence-he was
ordained a priest. Once, when he was a young man, John was walking
with Eusebius, an old monk from Palestine. Suddenly, a bodiless voice
spoke to Eusebius: ``Abba, do not walk to the right of the great
John.'' It was the voice of God, foretelling the great service to
which John would shortly be called. After the Blessed Eutychius, John
was chosen to be Patriarch of Constantinople. He did not want to
accept this but, having been frightened by a certain heavenly vision,
he accepted. He was a great faster, intercessor and miracle-worker
right up to his death. He reposed in the year 595. After his death,
his only personal possessions were found to be a wooden spoon, a linen
shirt and an old garment. His writings on repentance and confession
are well known.
Saint
Eleazar
Eleazar
was the son of Aaron, and second in order of the high priests of
Israel. He assisted Moses during the census of the people of Israel,
and assisted Joshua the son of Nun in apportioning the Promised Land
among the Twelve Tribes. He faithfully guarded the Ark of the Covenant
in Shiloh and reposed peacefully.
The
Feast of the Miracle of the Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God.
[See the
"Reflection" below.]
Reflection
The
life of the Orthodox Church provides us with numerous examples of how
Almighty God manifests His power through small and lifeless
things-especially those things that serve as signs of the Incarnation,
life and suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ. Such things include the
Cross, icons of the Theotokos and the saints, holy water, oil, myrrh,
and so forth. For example, a miracle was wrought through an icon of
the Holy Mother of God in the year 1748, in the home of a boyar named
Khitrov, near the Russian city of Kaluga. Two of the boyar's servants,
rummaging in Khitrov's attic one day, came upon a rolled-up piece of
cloth that depicted the beautiful image of a woman's face. The image
emanated holiness and piety. One of the servants was humble and
modest, while the other was vain and talkative. The former, looking at
the image on the cloth, called it ``The Abbess.'' Evdokia-the vain and
talkative one, whose name we know-did not honor this name, but
coarsely mocked her humble companion. To give even more force to her
vulgarity, she spat on the painting. At that instant Evdokia fell to
the ground, writhing with her whole body, blind and dumb, and began
foaming at the mouth. That night the Theotokos appeared to the parents
of the unfortunate girl, and told them what had happened to their
daughter. She told them to get a priest and have him pray before the
image that had been found and sprinkle the girl with holy water, and
then she would be healed. When this was done, Evdokia was healed, and
from then on she amended her disposition and was more modest. Thus was
a miracle-working icon of the Holy Theotokos discovered. This icon was
taken to a church in Kaluga, where it can be found today, still
working miracles.
Contemplation
Contemplate
God's punishment of David for his adultery and murder (II Samuel 12):
1. How God, speaking through the prophet Nathan, told David that
because he took another's wife, his own wives would be taken by other
men;
2. That his son would die;
3. That the sword would not depart from his house-all of which came to
pass.
Homily
On the Word of God, the Creator of the world
It
[the Word] was in the beginning in God. Everything came into existence
by Him (John 1:2-3).
Brethren, the Evangelist is speaking of the wondrous Logos of God,
of the rational, intelligent Word, of the eternal Wisdom of God, of
the co-eternal Son of God. This wondrous Word is of one Essence with
the Father and the Holy Spirit, yet hypostatically different from the
Father and the Spirit, for He was begotten of the Unbegotten Father.
He always was, is, and shall be. When was the Word in God? The
Evangelist says: In the beginning. What does In the
beginning mean? It means the same as ``first'' or ``first of
all.'' So, first of all, the Word of God was in God, and has always
been of one being with the Father, and has always been the Son, in
hypostasis, but not yet incarnate. Later, the Word of God became
incarnate, and appeared in a body for the sake of mankind. When He was
still the unincarnate Word in God, everything came into existence
by Him. Heaven and earth, and the whole inhabited heavenly and
earthly worlds-everything came into existence by Him, by the
Word of God, when He was in God, and not yet incarnate. Without the
Word of God, no created thing came into existence. He was Life and
Light, and the Light shone in darkness, and the darkness
comprehended it not (John 1:5). First of all, death and sin
represent darkness. That darkness did not overcome the Son of God. The
whole created world itself is darkness before God, yet in this
darkness shines the Word of God, the Wisdom of God, rational,
intelligent and majestic. All of creation would be in utter darkness
if the mystical light of the Son of God-by Whom all things were
created-did not illuminate it.
It [the Word] was in the beginning in God-then what happened? And
the Word was made flesh (John 1:14). The history of the creation
of the world leads up to this point, and from this point the history
of man's salvation begins. In taking on flesh, the Word of God did not
estrange Himself from God the Father and God the Holy Spirit-for the
Divine Trinity is undivided-but, rather, He clothed Himself in the
body and soul of man, so that, in the shadow of the body, He, the Sun
of suns, could draw near to men and save men.
O my brethren, how sweet and inexpressibly wonderful is the
mystery of the Incarnation of God. If we embrace this mystery with our
heart, it will be easier to approach it with our mind.
O Lord, gentle Savior, the glory of the Father and the joy of
the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us and save us.
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September
16th (New Style) •
September 3rd (Old Style)
The
Hieromartyr Anthimus
He was
born in Nicomedia, and was raised from childhood as a true Christian.
``His body was mortified, his spirit humbled, his envy uprooted, his
anger subdued, his sloth banished…. He had love for all and peace
with all; he was prudent with all, had zeal for the glory of God and
was forthright with all.'' It is no wonder that a man with such
virtues was appointed bishop. St. Anthimus governed as Bishop of
Nicomedia during the cruel persecution of Christians under the
villainous Emperors Diocletian and Maximian. Streams of Christian
blood were shed, especially in Nicomedia. One year, on the Feast of
Christ's Nativity, twenty thousand martyrs were burned to death in one
church (see December 28). This took place during the time of
Anthimus's episcopacy. Even so, the persecution did not end with this,
but continued, and many Christians were cast into prison and kept
there for torture and death. St. Anthimus withdrew to the village of
Semana, not because he was fleeing from death, but in order to
continue encouraging his flock in the feat of martyrdom, so that no
one would fall away out of fear. One of his letters to the Christians
in prison was intercepted and turned over to Emperor Maximian. The
emperor dispatched twenty soldiers to find Anthimus and bring him to
him. The gray-haired and clairvoyant elder came out to meet the
soldiers, brought them to his house, and treated them as guests-and
only then revealed that he was Anthimus, whom they were seeking. The
soldiers, astonished by Anthimus's kindness, suggested that he hide,
saying they would tell the emperor that they could not find him. But
Anthimus replied that he could not let himself transgress God's
commandment against falsehood to save his life, and he went with the
soldiers. Along the way, all the soldiers came to believe in Christ
and were baptized by Anthimus. The emperor had Anthimus harshly
tortured for a long time, and then had him beheaded with an axe. He
glorified the Lord and went to his rest at the beginning of the fourth
century.
The
Holy Martyr Basilissa
Basilissa
was a nine-year-old girl. She was martyred in Nicomedia not long after
the death of St. Anthimus. The torturers covered her whole body with
wounds, but she remained faithful to Christ. God preserved her
unharmed from fire and wild beasts, which caused her torturer,
Alexander, to repent and embrace the Christian Faith. Basilissa then
went out into a field, fell to her knees, and prayed thankfully to God
that she had endured the tortures, and with that she gave up her
spirit to God, in about the year 309.
Saint
Joanikije, Archbishop and First Patriarch of Serbia
Joanikije
was born in Prizren, and initially served as secretary to King Du
an. He became archbishop in 1339, and was elevated to the rank of
patriarch in 1346. Joanikije was a zealous archpastor and organizer of
the Serbian Church, ``a great upholder of the laws of the Church.'' He
entered into rest on September 3, 1349. His relics repose in the
Patriarchate of Peč.
The
Venerable Theoctistus
He was a
faster and fellow ascetic of St. Euthymius the Great. Theoctistus was
abbot of Euthymius's Lavra, located some six miles from Jerusalem on
the road to Jericho. In all things he was a disciple of St. Euthymius
under whose spiritual guidance he governed the monastery until the age
of ninety. He pleased God by his life, and reposed in the middle of
the fifth century during the reign of Anastasius, Patriarch of
Jerusalem.
Reflection
He
who desires to be saved must be absolutely obedient to spiritual
authority. Without this obedience, a man can perish even with the
greatest desire for salvation. The great saints, who prescribed
obedience as the condition for salvation, also fulfilled the act of
obedience to perfection. When St. Simeon chose the pillar for his
ascesis, it struck the other ascetics as some kind of novelty. Because
they did not know if this form of asceticism was of the Spirit of God
or of the spirit of pride, the desert fathers sent spiritual men to
determine the answer. The monks were to command Simeon in their name
to come down from the pillar. If he did not want to come down, it
would have meant that his elevation on the pillar was from the spirit
of pride. But if he obeyed the command and began to descend, they were
to leave him as he was, for his readiness to obey would show that his
asceticism was from the Holy Spirit. When those sent arrived and told
Simeon that the council of the holy fathers of the desert commanded
him to descend from the pillar, Simeon immediately began to climb down
the ladder. Seeing his obedience, they cried out to him rejoicing:
``Do not come down, holy Father, but remain where you are. We see now
that your asceticism is of God.''
Contemplation
Contemplate
God's punishment of David for his sins (II Samuel 13):
1. How Amnon, David's son, defiled David's daughter, Tamara;
2. How Absalom, David's son, slew Amnon his brother because of this;
3. How David wept bitterly.
Homily
On the Word of God revealed in the flesh
And
the Word was made flesh
(John 1:14).
Here, brethren, is a new, blessed and salvific beginning for
us-the beginning of our salvation. Adam was in the flesh when he fell
under the authority of sin and death. Now the Creator of Adam has
appeared in the flesh, to deliver Adam and Adam's posterity from the
power of sin and death. The Son of God-the Word, Wisdom, Light and
Life-descended among men in human flesh and with a human soul. He was
incarnate but not divided from His Divinity. He descended without
being separated from His Father. He retained all that He had been and
would be for all eternity, and yet He received something new: human
nature. His eternal attributes were not diminished by the Incarnation,
neither was His relationship to the Father and the Spirit changed. Lo,
the Father testified to this, both on the Jordan and on Mount Tabor: This
is my beloved Son! He did not say: ``This was my Son,'' but ``This
is my Son.'' The Holy Spirit was with Him at His bodily conception and
throughout His mission on earth. The divine and human nature were
united in Him, but not intermingled. How? Do not ask, you who do not
even know how to explain yourself to yourself, and cannot say how your
soul and body are united in you. Only know this: God came to visit the
earth, bringing unspeakably rich treasures for mankind-royal gifts,
incorruptible, eternal, priceless and irreplaceable gifts. Know this
and let your heart dance for joy. Strive to cleanse your hands, purify
your senses, wash your soul, whiten your heart, and set your mind
straight, that you may receive the royal gifts. For they are not given
to the unclean.
O Lord Jesus Christ, help us to cleanse and wash ourselves by Thy
blood and Thy Spirit, that we may be made worthy of Thy royal gifts.
To
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September
17th (New Style) •
September 4th (Old Style)
The
Holy Hieromartyr Babylas
This
``great and wonderful man, if he could be called a man''-as St. John
Chrysostom spoke of him-was Bishop of Antioch during the reign of the
wicked Emperor Numerian. This Numerian concluded a peace treaty with a
barbarian king, who was more noble and peace-loving than he. As a sign
of his sincere desire for a lasting peace, the barbarian king gave his
young son to be brought up and educated in Numerian's court. One day
Numerian stabbed this innocent boy to death with his own hands, and
offered him as a sacrifice to the idols. Still hot from the crime and
the innocent blood, this criminal with an emperor's crown went to a
Christian church to see what was going on there. St. Babylas was at
prayer with the people, and heard that the emperor had come with his
retinue and desired to enter the church. Babylas interrupted the
service, went out in front of the church, and told the emperor that as
he was an idolater he could not enter the holy temple where the one,
true God was glorified. In a homily about Babylas, St. John Chrysostom
said: ``Who else in the world would he fear-he who, with such
authority, repulsed the emperor?… By this, he taught emperors not to
overreach their authority beyond the measure given to them by God, and
he also showed the clergy how to use their own authority.'' The shamed
emperor turned back, but planned revenge. The following day, he
summoned Babylas and berated him, urging him to offer sacrifice to the
idols, which, of course, the saint steadfastly refused to do. The
emperor then bound Babylas and cast him into prison. The emperor also
tortured three children: Urban, age twelve, Prilidian, age nine, and
Hippolinus, age seven. Babylas was their spiritual father and teacher,
and they, out of love for him, had not run away. They were the sons of
Christodula, an honorable Christian woman who had herself suffered for
Christ. The emperor first ordered that each child be beaten with a
number of blows corresponding to his years, and then had them cast
into prison. He finally had all three beheaded with the sword. The
chained Babylas was present at the beheading of the children and
encouraged them. After that, he laid his own honorable head under the
sword. He was buried in his chains by the Christians, in the same
grave as those three wondrous children, as he had willed before his
martyrdom. Their holy souls flew off to their heavenly habitation,
while their miracle-working relics remained for the benefit of the
faithful, as a constant witness to their heroism in the Faith. They
suffered in about the year 250.
The
Holy Prophet Moses the God-seer
Moses
was a great leader and the lawgiver of Israel. He was born in Egypt in
about 1550 b.c. For forty years, he lived at the court of the pharaoh;
for forty years, he lived as a shepherd in contemplation of God and
the world; and for his remaining forty years, he led the people
through the wilderness to the Promised Land. He beheld the Promised
Land, but was not allowed to enter it, for he had once sinned against
God (Numbers 20:12). Moses reposed at the age of 120. As a
miracle-worker, he was a prefiguring of Christ, according to St. Basil
the Great. He appeared from the other world on Mount Tabor during the
Lord's Transfiguration. According to the witness of St. John Climacus,
he appeared also to the monks in the Monastery of Mount Sinai.
The
Holy Martyrs Marcellus and Cassian
Emperor
Maximian Hercules once issued a command that all of his soldiers had
to offer sacrifices to the idols. Marcellus was a soldier at that
time, and Cassian was a notary (secretary). Marcellus, a Christian,
declared: ``If the military calling is bound up with sacrifice to
idols, then I cannot be a soldier!'' He removed his military belt and
arms and cast them aside. He was immediately sentenced to death.
Cassian's duty was to write Marcellus's death sentence, but he refused
to write it. They were beheaded together, and their souls took up
habitation in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Reflection
A
saint's power after his death is often many times greater than in
life. ``That is why God left us the relics of the saints,'' says St.
John Chrysostom in his unsurpassable homily on St. Babylas. St.
Babylas was buried in the city of Antioch. At that time, Emperor
Gallus-the brother of Julian the Apostate-was reigning together with
Constantius, the son of Constantine the Great. Inspired by piety,
Gallus translated the relics of St. Babylas to the outskirts of Daphne
and built a small church, placing the relics of the martyr in it.
There was a famous temple of Apollo in Daphne, built on the spot
where, according to a pagan legend, a virgin had turned into a laurel
tree in order to be saved from the ``god'' Apollo, who was pursuing
her out of unrestrained fleshly passion for her. There stood the idol
of Apollo, which allegedly could foretell anyone's future. But, as the
relics of Babylas now rested in the vicinity of the temple, the demon
from the idol fell silent and ceased making prophesies. Later, when
Emperor Julian the Apostate set out on his catastrophic war with the
Persians, he visited the temple of Apollo and consulted the idol about
the outcome of his impending war. The idol responded with trepidation
that it could not render a clear response ``because of the dead''
buried in its proximity. Of course, that pertained to Babylas, the
presence of whose body had silenced the demon. Julian ordered that the
relics of Babylas be transported back to Antioch. However, as soon as
the relics of the martyr were removed, fire fell from heaven and
consumed the temple of Apollo, destroying it forever. Julian set out
against the Persians and his blasphemous life came to a horrible end.
Such was the power of Christ's martyr after death: he silenced the
demon, brought down fire from heaven, destroyed the idolatrous temple,
and punished the apostate emperor with a dishonorable death.
Contemplation
Contemplate
God's punishment of David for his sins (II Samuel 15):
1. How Absalom, David's son, raised a rebellion against his father;
2. How David fled from Jerusalem before his son, and went barefoot and
wept.
Homily
On the changing of water into wine
This
beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee
(John 2:11).
Our God is Almighty; and His power has no limit and is beyond
description. He created all that was created by His Word: By the
Word of the Lord the heavens were made (Psalm 33:6). By His Word,
He created the body of man. By the Word of God, lifeless earth is
transformed into the bodies of men, animals and plants. By the Word of
God, flowing water is changed into vapor, and vapor into ice and snow.
By this same Word, the water in a vine is changed into wine, wine
that maketh glad the heart of man (Psalm 104:15). Therefore, how
difficult a miracle was it for the Word of God Incarnate-Christ our
Lord-to change water into wine in Cana? For us men, darkened by sin,
this is a great miracle; for our nature, weakened by sin, it is an
unattainable miracle. Yet, isn't the working of miracles the usual
occupation of the Creator? When the servants filled the six large
vessels with water, the Lord Christ said to them: Draw out now, and
bear unto the governor of the feast (John 2:8). He did not even
say, ``Let the water become wine,'' he merely thought it. For God's
thoughts have the same power as His words.
Why is it said that this was the ``beginning of miracles,'' when it
appears that, long before this miracle, the Lord worked other
miracles? Because, brethren, the changing of water into wine is the
fundamental miracle of Christ, and is the essence of all His miracles.
Human nature was diluted with its own tears, and it was necessary to
change it into wine. The divine spark in man was extinguished, and it
was necessary to rekindle it. Infirmity is like water, health is like
wine; the impurities of the evil spirits are like water, purity is
like wine; death is like water, life is like wine; ignorance is like
water, truth is like wine. Hence, whenever the Lord made the sick
whole, the impure pure, the dead alive, and prodigals enlightened, He
essentially turned water into wine.
O Lord our God, Thou miraculous Transformer of water into wine: bring
Thy divine flame to our extinguished hearth. Transform the water of
our being into divine wine, that we may be like unto Thee-and that we
may thus abide with Thee in Thine Immortal Kingdom, with Thy radiant
angels.
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September
18th (New Style) •
September 5th (Old Style)
The
Holy Prophet Zacharias
He was
the father of St. John the Forerunner. Zacharias was the son of
Barachias, from the lineage of Abia, of the sons of Aaron. Zacharias
was a high priest who held the eighth degree of service in the Temple
at Jerusalem. His wife Elizabeth was the daughter of Sophia and sister
of St. Anna, who was the mother of the Holy Theotokos. During the
reign of King Herod the child-slayer, Zacharias was serving one day at
the Temple of Jerusalem according to his turn. An angel of God
appeared to him in the sanctuary, and Zacharias had great fear. The
angel said to him: Fear not, Zacharias (Luke 1:13), and
announced that Elizabeth would bear a son, in answer to their prayers.
But both Zacharias and Elizabeth were old. When Zacharias doubted the
words of the heavenly herald, the angel said: I am Gabriel, that
stand in the presence of God (Luke 1:19). Zacharias was struck
dumb from that hour, and could not speak until his son was born and he
had written on a tablet: His name is John (Luke 1:63). Then his
speech returned, and he magnified God. Some time later, when the Lord
Jesus had been born and Herod began to slaughter the children of
Bethlehem, he sent men to find and kill the son of Zacharias-for Herod
had heard all that had happened to Zacharias, and how John had been
born. Upon seeing the soldiers coming, Elizabeth took John into her
arms-he was a year and a half old at that time-fled from the house
with him, and ran to a rocky and desolate place. When she saw the
soldiers following her, she cried out to the mountain: ``O mountain of
God, receive a mother with her child!'' and the rock opened and hid
the mother and child. Then Herod, enraged that the child John had not
been slain, ordered that Zacharias be slain before the altar. The
blood of Zacharias was spilled on the marble and dried solid as stone,
and remained as a witness to Herod's evil deed. In the place where
Elizabeth hid with John a cave opened, water flowed out of it, and a
fruit-bearing palm grew, all by the power of God. Forty days after the
death of Zacharias, the blessed Elizabeth died. The child John
remained in the wilderness, fed by an angel and protected by God's
providence, until the day he appeared at the Jordan.
The
Holy Martyrs Juventius and Maximinus
Little
is known about the life of these two holy men, but their suffering for
Christ is known from a sermon by St. John Chrysostom praising them.
They were soldiers during the rule of Emperor Julian the Apostate. In
conversation with others during a military feast, they condemned the
emperor for his persecution of Christians. Someone told the emperor of
this, and he had them thrown into prison. Some of the emperor's men
visited them with the intention of turning them away from the true
Faith. They told Juventius and Maximinus that many of their companions
had denied Christ. To this, the two nobly replied: ``Then we must
stand bravely, and offer ourselves as a sacrifice for their
apostasy.'' They were beheaded with the sword in the dark of night,
but their relics were found and were revealed to be miracle-working.
Seventy
Holy Martyrs
Headed
by Urban, Theodore and Medimnus, these men were chosen from among the
Christians of Constantinople during the Emperor Valens's persecution
of Orthodoxy, as the most respected and distinguished citizens of the
capital, to go to Nicomedia to implore the heretical emperor (an
Arian) to at least spare the lives of Orthodox Christians. The emperor
became enraged and told them to go back, but secretly ordered his
sailors to set the boat on fire when they were at sea, and to save
themselves in a dinghy. The wicked servants of the even more wicked
master did this. The bodies of these glorious seventy martyrs were
burned and drowned in the sea, but their souls swam on to the haven of
eternal blessedness.
The
Venerable Athanasius
He
labored in asceticism in Vilnius, and was later the abbot of a
monastery in Brest. Because of his unwavering faith in Orthodoxy, he
was beheaded by the Roman Catholics on September 5, 1648. His
miracle-working relics repose in Brest.
Reflection
Men
strive in vain to discover those things that God intentionally
conceals from them. If God had not permitted, men would never have
found gold and silver beneath the earth, or the power of steam or the
glow of electrical light. In vain, Herod slaughtered countless
children in Bethlehem in order to slay One. That One was hidden from
the sight and sword of Herod. In vain did Herod seek John. Behold the
wonder: soldiers pursued the aged Elizabeth, who was fleeing with John
in her arms-and could not catch up with her! The enraged Herod
summoned Zacharias and demanded: ``Give me your son John!'' The aged
priest meekly replied: ``I am now serving the Lord God of Israel. I
know not where my son is.'' Insane with rage, Herod ordered Zacharias
slain in place of John. The servants of the king entered the Temple
and asked Zacharias: ``Where have you hidden your son? Give him to us
for the king has so ordered. If you do not give him to us, you
yourself will die.'' Zacharias replied: ``You will kill my body but
the Lord will receive my soul.'' Thus Zacharias was slain, but Herod
was not content with that. The wicked king had no peace, day or night,
for he was tormented by a foreboding that John could be that newborn
king proclaimed by the Magi from the East. Herod tried to find him,
but in vain, for God had intentionally hidden him.
Contemplation
Contemplate
God's punishment of David for his sins (II Samuel 17):
1. How Absalom warred with his father and how many people died in that
war;
2. How Absalom perished;
3. How David wept bitterly.
Homily
On the necessity of a second or spiritual birth
Except
a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God (John
3:3).
Thus the Lord Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, and
Nicodemus asked in amazement: ``How can this be?'' That is, how can a
man be born again? Even to this day, many ask: ``How can a sensual man
become a spiritual man?'' ``How can a sinner become a righteous one?''
``How can the grace of God enter a man and replace his sensual
thoughts and will?'' ``How can the Holy Spirit illuminate the heart of
man?'' ``How can water be changed into wine?'' We know that when the
Spirit of God descended upon the apostles, they became different
men-new men, reborn men. We also know, from thousands of examples, how
men of sensual thoughts and sensual life became spiritual men,
regenerated men. Therefore, we know that it happened then and happens
now, by the action of the grace of God the Holy Spirit. It is not
necessary for us to ask how this happens. It is enough for us to know
that it does happen, and to strive that it happen in us, for the grace
of the Spirit is given to everyone who seeks it and prepares himself
to be able to receive it. There is no more difficult task than to
explain spiritual things to men who think and judge only sensually.
St. John Chrysostom says: ``A soul which is given over to passions
cannot achieve anything great and noble, for it suffers from a
grievous blindness, like that of eyes darkened by the flow of pus.''
Usually the most sensual men inquire about the greatest divine
mysteries. They do not inquire about that in order to know how they
can be saved, but rather to confuse the faithful and to ridicule the
Faith, and to justify their own sinful and passionate life. Unable to
raise themselves to the first rung of the heavenly ladder, they
fantasize about the last rung. Brethren, when such as these inquire
about the profoundest mysteries of the regeneration of the soul and
the Kingdom of Heaven, ask them, first of all, to fulfill the ten
basic commandments of God. If they do this, then their souls will be
opened to the understanding of the Divine Mysteries, inasmuch as that
understanding is necessary for the cleansing of their sins and
passions, and for eternal salvation.
O Lord Jesus Christ, our Most-gracious and All-wise Teacher, help us
to understand with our minds, and embrace with our hearts, as much of
Thy wisdom as is necessary for our salvation. Help us to keep
ourselves from undue curiosity.
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September
19th (New Style) •
September 6th (Old Style)
The
Commemoration of the Miracles of the Holy Archangel Michael
Near
Hierapolis, in Phrygia, there was a place called Chonae
(``plunging''), and in that place there was a spring of miraculous
water. When Apostle John the Theologian, accompanied by Philip,
preached the Gospel in Hierapolis, he looked upon that place and
prophesied that a spring of miraculous water would open up there, from
which many would receive healing, and that the great Archangel of God
Michael would visit that place. Soon afterward, this prophecy was
fulfilled: a spring of water burst forth and became widely known for
its miraculous power. A pagan in Laodicea had a daughter who was mute,
which caused him great sorrow. Archangel Michael appeared to him in a
dream, and told him to take his daughter to the spring, where she
would be cured. The father immediately obeyed, brought his daughter to
the spring, and found many people there seeking deliverance from
various infirmities. These people were all Christians. The man asked
how he should seek healing, and the Christians told him: ``You must
pray to the Archangel Michael, in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit.'' The man prayed in this way, gave his
daughter a drink of this water, and the girl began to speak. The
pagan, his daughter and his whole household were baptized. He also
built a church over the spring dedicated to the Archangel Michael.
Later, a young man named Archippus settled there and lived a life of
austerity, in fasting and prayer. The pagans did many malicious things
to Archippus, for they did not like the fact that this Christian holy
place emanated such spiritual power and attracted so many people to
it. The pagans, in their wickedness, rerouted the nearest river in
order to flood the church and the spring. By the prayers of Archippus,
the holy Archangel Michael opened a fissure in the rock beside the
church, and the river's water plunged into it. This is how that place
was saved and why it was called Chonae, or ``of the plunging,'' for
the river's water that plunged into the open fissure. St. Archippus
labored in asceticism there until the age of seventy, and peacefully
reposed in the Lord.
The
Holy Martyr Romulus and 11,000 Soldiers
While
Emperor Trajan waged war in the East, he once commanded that the
Christians in his army be counted. It was found that there were 11,000
Christians in the imperial army. The emperor then ordered that they
all be dismissed from the army and sent to Armenia. St. Romulus was
the overseer of the imperial household. He went before the emperor and
reprimanded him for this action, declaring himself a Christian. The
emperor gave order that Romulus be beheaded. Of those banished
soldiers, the emperor had 10,000 of them crucified. The others were
slain by various tortures.
Saint
Eudoxius
Eudoxius
was a commander in the Roman army. He suffered for Christ during the
reign of Diocletian. He was tried and tortured by the governor of
Melitene in Armenia. His friends Zeno and Macarius also suffered with
him, as well as 1104 other soldiers who had been converted to
Christianity by Eudoxius. After his death Eudoxius appeared to his
wife Basilissa, who remained faithful to Christ to the time of her
peaceful repose.
The
Venerable David
He was
the leader of a band of robbers near Hermopolis, in Egypt. He came to
his senses only in his later years, when he repented and was tonsured
a monk. The Archangel Gabriel appeared to David and granted him
miraculous power. After many difficult ascetic practices, David became
worthy of the Kingdom of God and reposed peacefully in the sixth
century.
Reflection
Christianity
has uprooted many barbaric customs from the society of man. But some
of those customs-praiseworthy from the pagan point of view, but
shameful from the Christian point of view-are, even to the present
day, like hidden corruption oozing from a supposedly healed wound. One
of these customs is the unlawful kidnapping of maidens. St. Basil
wrote powerfully to one of his priests, after one such incident: ``Do
all in your power to find and rescue this maiden. Then, return her to
her parents and excommunicate the perpetrator. Also suspend those who
abetted him-including their entire households-from participation in
services for three years. Likewise, suspend everyone in the village to
which the maiden was taken, where she was hidden or perhaps kept by
force-so that all will know that a kidnapper should be driven away
from them like a serpent or some other wild beast or common enemy, and
that the abused should be protected.''
Contemplation
Contemplate
the example of David's self-restraint (II Samuel 23):
1. How, during battle against the Philistines, David became thirsty,
and asked who would bring him water from the well in Bethlehem, which
was held by the Philistines;
2. How three heroes slipped through the enemy lines, and brought water
back to their king;
3. How David did not want to drink, but rather poured the water on the
ground, saying: Is not this the blood of the men that went in
jeopardy of their lives?
Homily
On the two births
That
which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit (John 3:6).
Brethren, these words are not the words of a prophet or an
apostle, but are the words of the Lord Himself, uttered with His most
pure mouth. As there is power and salvation in every one of the Lord's
words, so is there power and salvation in these. That is why it is
necessary to study these words with fear and great care and apply them
in our lives. By these words the Lord emphasizes the precedence of the
spirit over the flesh. And, as the flesh is born of the body, so the
spirit must be born of the Spirit. The birth of our spirit is of the
Spirit of God, according to the grace of God and not according to
nature. It is the new birth that the Lord described to Nicodemus, a
ruler of the Jews. Nicodemus did not understand these words of Christ,
just as, even today, he whose flesh is stronger than his spirit does
not understand them. Men whose flesh has overcome their spirit think
and judge everything according to the body. Men whose spirit has
overcome their body think and judge everything according to the
spirit. All those who think and judge according to the body make their
spirits fleshly, while all who think and judge spiritually make their
bodies spiritual. Just like someone exchanging gold for paper money,
the former convert that which is immortal into that which is mortal.
The latter are like someone exchanging paper money for pure gold-for
they do not destroy that which is immortal, but convert that which is
mortal into that which is immortal. The Jews interpreted the Law and
the Prophets according to the flesh, and that is why they did not
understand the Lord Jesus, but crucified the Lord of Glory. Those who
were enlightened by the grace of the Spirit of God interpreted both
the Law and the Prophets spiritually, and understood our Lord Jesus
Christ. And through Him, they understood not only the Law and the
Prophets, but all of created nature as well, and all of their life on
earth. Brethren, although the body is necessarily born of the flesh,
it would be unnatural for the spirit also to be born of the flesh. Let
our spirit be born of the Spirit of God and then we will be natural,
both in body and in spirit. This is that higher and sinless nature
that Adam had in Paradise before he sinned. It is not possible or
necessary for our body to be born again of the flesh. It is possible
and necessary, and never too late, for our spirit to be born again of
the Spirit of God.
O Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten Son of God-help us, that
before death we may become reborn of the Spirit of God, and that our
spirits, in truth, be born of the Spirit.
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September
20th (New Style) •
September 7th (Old Style)
The
Holy Martyr Sozon
Sozon
was born in Lyconia. He was a shepherd and kept all of God's laws,
instructing his peers and friends in his pious Faith. In a vision he
was shown that he would suffer martyrdom for Christ. This was in the
time of Maximian, magistrate of Cilicia, who perpetrated a terrible
persecution of Christians in the nearby city of Pompeiopolis. In that
city there was a certain golden idol which the pagans worshiped. Sozon
left his flock, went to the city, entered the pagan temple and broke
the arm off the golden idol. He crumbled it into bits and distributed
it to the poor. There was a great uproar because of this, and the
pagans sought out the guilty one. So that no one else would suffer for
his deed, Sozon went to the magistrate and declared himself to be a
Christian and the perpetrator of that act. His torturers first beat
him, then suspended him from a tree and scraped his body with iron
combs. When he was nearly dead, they cast him into a fire, where St.
Sozon gave up his holy soul to God. He suffered in about the year 304.
St. Sozon's relics were miracle-working, and a church in his name was
built over them.
The
Holy Apostles Euodus and Onesiphorus
Euodus
and Onesiphorus were apostles of the Seventy. St Ignatius the
God-bearer mentions Euodus with great praise in his Epistle to the
Antiochians. Euodus was a disciple of the Apostle Peter, and his
successor as Bishop of Antioch. The Apostle Peter himself consecrated
him. Euodus wrote a work on the Holy Theotokos, in which he related
how the Holy Virgin Mary was brought to the Temple at the age of
three, and remained in the Temple for eleven years; how, on entering
her fifteenth year, she was entrusted to St. Joseph for protection;
and how, at age fifteen, she gave birth to the Lord. Euodus also wrote
another work entitled ``The Beacon.'' However, both of these works
were destroyed during the persecution of Christians. He was slain for
Christ during Emperor Vespasian's persecutions in Antioch. The Apostle
Paul mentions St. Onesiphorus as his sincere friend and helper (II
Timothy 1:16-18). St. Onesiphorus suffered for Christ in Colophon,
where he was bishop. It is said that he was tied to wild horses and
pulled apart. Thus, these faithful soldiers of Christ honorably served
on earth, and entered into the joy of their Lord.
The
Holy Martyr Eupsychius
Eupsychius
was the son of Dionysius, a senator. He was severely tortured for
Christ, being beaten and scraped, and was thrown half-dead into
prison, where an angel of God came to him and healed him. Released
from prison, he distributed all of his possessions-some to the poor
and some to his slanderers. He was arrested again, and his body was
scraped until he gave up his soul to God. Instead of blood, milk and
water flowed from his wounds. He suffered in the time of Emperor
Hadrian.
Saint
John, Archbishop of Novgorod
John was
a priest who was ordained Bishop of Novgorod in 1163. He built seven
churches during his lifetime. He had a vision of the Holy Theotokos,
and had unusual power over demons, whom he even forced to serve him.
He miraculously saved Novgorod from an attack by seventy-two princes.
He suffered from diabolical temptations, but by the power of the Cross
and much prayer he overcame them all. In old age, he withdrew to a
monastery and received the great schema. He reposed peacefully in the
Lord on September 7, 1185.
Reflection
Victory
over anger is one of the greatest victories of a soldier of Christ. We
generally become angry either at those we wish to turn back from sin,
or at those who slander us. However, in doing so we forget that anger
is a mortal sin, and in desiring the salvation of others we lose our
own, according to the words of St. Macarius. Anger against our enemies
is usually tied to another evil impulse, the desire for revenge. St.
Eupsychius so overcame the passion of anger in himself, that before
his death, he gave one portion of his great estate to the poor and
another portion to his slanderers, because of whom he was being
tortured and slain. He considered his slanderers as his benefactors.
St. John Chrysostom writes: ``Let us clip the wings of anger, and evil
will not rise high. Anger is an evil sickness that can destroy our
souls…. Anger is a terrible fire which devours everything…. If an
angry man could see himself at the moment of his anger, he would need
no other counsel not to become angry-because there is nothing more
unpleasant than an angry face.'' Abba Ammon confessed of himself: ``I
spent fourteen years in Scetis, praying to God day and night, to give
me victory over anger.''
Contemplation
Contemplate
Solomon's honoring of his mother (I Kings 2):
1. How his mother went to her son to ask something of him;
2. How he stood up, met his mother and bowed before her-even though he
was king;
3. How, when he sat down on his throne, he placed his mother at his
right hand.
Homily
On spiritual food
My
meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me (John 4:34).
Behold, here is love! Behold, here is instruction! Behold,
here is humility! Behold, here is an example! As there is in good
bread all that is needed for our body, so in every word of the Lord
Jesus Christ there is all that is needed for our soul. The divine
unity of the nature of the Father and the Son is expressed in the love
of the Father for the Son, and the Son for the Father. He who loves,
obeys. If you want to know how great your love for God is, measure
your obedience to the will of God and you will know immediately. A
lack of obedience is a sure sign of the lack of love. He who loves,
fulfills the will of his beloved. The Son of God loves His Father so
much that He regarded fulfilling the Father's will as the sweetest
food. What is the will of the Father? The salvation of mankind. Our
Lord, the Son of God, felt the insatiable hunger to fulfill the
Father's will. When He saved someone, He felt as if nourished with the
sweetest food. Do you see how exalted Christ's spirituality is? His
disciples brought Him food from the city and urged Him: Master,
eat! At that moment He was too occupied with His main work, the
saving of human souls. There was the Samaritan woman, ready to embrace
the teaching of salvation; there was the entire city of Sychar,
already drawn to the Kingdom of God; and there was the great field
ready for the harvest of salvation. For Christ this was food sweeter
than all physical food and worldly sweetness. The body is a vehicle in
which man, the king, rides. When the king performs his royal
duty-ransoming his heirs from bondage-the vehicle must be put aside
and not interfere in the work of the king. The king is so focused on
saving his beloved heirs, that this mission is his food, drink,
reward, sole satisfaction and dignity. O my brethren, if you could
know how much Christ the Lord hungers, even today, for our salvation!
If we did, then we would give Him the food that He likes most! Who is
a greater guest, closer relative, or more sincere friend than He? When
we host far lesser guests, more distant relatives and less sincere
friends, we give them the food that we know they like. Then, why do we
not host our Lord with the only food that is pleasing to Him? Let us
embrace the salvation that He offers us-that, for Him, is the most
pleasant food. He turns His head away from all other food.
O Lord Jesus, insatiable Lover of our salvation, have mercy on
us and save us.
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